Genie Appel-Cohen: From Pastry Chef to Florida Artist with Japanese Aesthetic

Genie Appel-Cohen, a Florida-based artist, creates large-format tropical landscapes and still life paintings using a distinctive technique involving gold relief, resin paint applied with pipettes, and modeling paste on cradled wood panels. Her early life included familial instability and opposition to formal art education, but her father enrolled her in children's classes at the Art Student's League in New York City. After focusing on family from the 1970s to 1990s, she studied pastry in Paris, started a dessert business, and later pursued art seriously following her divorce. She converted her garage into a studio, taught over sixty students for seven years, and later taught at the local museum. A career advancement came with an introduction to Ikebana and a commission for a Klimt-like painting for a Miami client, leading to reimagined still lifes with tilted vases and tropical foliage. Her paintings require several months to complete due to the multi-layered process. She currently teaches at The Boca Museum Art School and seeks exhibition opportunities.